Post First AG Questions

[EHV]

Hey guys, I brewed Yoops Pale Ale for my first AG brew. I missed all of my temps and volumes, but somehow still came out with the correct OG for the brew. So, first off:
I missed my mash in temp by 4 degrees and ended up at 150 instead of 154. What effect would this have on the mashing process?
I tried adding hot water to raise my temp but failed as I didn't add enough and ended up with almost 5 gallons instead of 4 for the mash in process.
What does the excess mash volume mean for the quality of wort on the first runnings? I didn't take OG readings.
On mash out, I missed the temp by 8 degrees for the 10 minute rest prior to verlouf.
I sparged the grain bed with the correct temp water enough to get my pre boil volume and left behind over a gallon in the mash tun which I could have used since my boil off was way more than projected.

I learned a lot through this process, and will definitely be investing in a thermapen instead of a mercury thermometer.I used beersmith, but being my first time, I did not use my equiipment profile like I should have. Also, if it matters, I checked the ph with a electronic pH meter and it read 5.4. Thanks guys.

 

[EHV]

Maybe this thread title came across the wrong way.
Anyone care to share some information?

 

[Foosier]

You're beer will be fine. Low mash temp could leave you with a slightly more fermentable wort according to conventional wisdom.

The excess wort in first runnings really means very little without a hydrometer reading. I would guess this had no impact whatsoever.

Missing mashout is not a big deal either. some say the whole mashout process is not needed since you effectively mashout during the boil.

The big thing I would take from this is learn what you did wrong, what could go better and what went well. Repeat the good and fix the bad on your next batch. Highly recommend taking gravity readings though. you really don't know what your are ending up with when doing AG without it.

 

[winvarin]

Hey guys, I brewed Yoops Pale Ale for my first AG brew. I missed all of my temps and volumes, but somehow still came out with the correct OG for the brew. So, first off:
I missed my mash in temp by 4 degrees and ended up at 150 instead of 154. What effect would this have on the mashing process?
I tried adding hot water to raise my temp but failed as I didn't add enough and ended up with almost 5 gallons instead of 4 for the mash in process.
What does the excess mash volume mean for the quality of wort on the first runnings? I didn't take OG readings.
On mash out, I missed the temp by 8 degrees for the 10 minute rest prior to verlouf.
I sparged the grain bed with the correct temp water enough to get my pre boil volume and left behind over a gallon in the mash tun which I could have used since my boil off was way more than projected.

I learned a lot through this process, and will definitely be investing in a thermapen instead of a mercury thermometer.I used beersmith, but being my first time, I did not use my equiipment profile like I should have. Also, if it matters, I checked the ph with a electronic pH meter and it read 5.4. Thanks guys.

A couple of comments:

1. Mash temp of 150 vs. 154. Don't sweat it. Your beer may attenuate a little more, but personally, I've brewed this beer a few times and on my system, I like it in the 150-52 range. Provided the thermometer you used is calibrated and 150 was a true reading you should be good to go.

2. Opinions are all over the map on water to grist ratio. 1 gallon won't change much in the grand scheme. Tasty MCDole uses the same amount of water in most of his recipes. That means depending on his grain bill, sometimes he mashes thick, and sometimes thin. He just doesn't worry about it. I use the same approach with my system. Unless I am making a really big or really small beer, I always mash with the same amount of water and just adjust my sparge accordingly.

3. Mash out is also optimal. I usually try to do one to stop conversion and make the wort easier to run out. But depending on your sparge method, how long it took you to collect your wort and how quickly you got your kettle running over, say, about 170f, the only change you'd see by skipping mash out is a more fermentable wort as the enzymes will continue conversion during your lauter.

4. I am still convinced evaporation rate is as much art as it is science. I've had my new system a little more than a year and I am still fine tuning my boil off. Temperature, humidity and wind all come into play. I've been known to even boil and cool some RO water and add it back at the end if I have boiled too much off for me to be comfortable with.

5. What temperature did you measure pH at? pH at mash temperature will be a little higher than what the same sample reads at room temp. But 5.4 regardless of temp is not bad. Definitely in the right ballpark.

6. You won't regret buying a Thermapen, I love mine. All of the thermometers in my brew house are calibrated to it.

The only unknown it sounds like is your OG. The all grain process is pretty forgiving. Yooper's is a great recipe and as long as you ferment clean and with a good pitch of healthy yeast at appropriate temps, you should get a nice APA for your effort.

Next time make sure you get an OG reading. That will be a good indicator as to how your process steps went.



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Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[EHV]

My OG at ferment temp when it hit the primary was 1.058. I didn't take measurements on the runnings as I know I should have, but its a learning process I guess. As for pitching, I slummed it up and pitched dry as I haven't evolved to starters if its not in a smack pack. Ferment is right around 62 to 63 in the basement so I'm hoping its a clean ferment.
The pH meter I use is a digital eco tester and it supposedly has temperature compensation but I guess I can take that with a grain of salt.I took those readings at mashing temperature. I tested it with my Saltwater pH probes as reference and they were in the ballpark to the hundredths.
To see my OG hit the desired target I was ecstatic after everything that went wrong in my eyes. I really appreciate your response. I've learned that understanding your system is a big part of hitting your numbers consistently.

 

[hopester]

I am putting a small engine on a bicycle, have to modify the intake at the carbuter, can I use copper fitting to attached to the motor and the gas going into spark